Not Just a Podcast. Not Just a Newsletter.
The deeper reason I started Redefine the Game (and where it’s headed).
I’ve been sitting with this question a lot this week:
What am I building with Redefine the Game?
Not the surface-level answer.
Not “a podcast” or “a newsletter.”
But underneath it all:
What am I really trying to do here?
And honestly…
I think I’m trying to create the space I wish existed.
For brand builders who give a damn.
For people who feel like branding has become this weird performance art disconnected from the humans it's supposed to serve.
For folks who want to build movements, not just marketing campaigns.
It’s messy right now. I’m figuring it out in real-time.
Last week, I tried a new thing: Community Corner, where I shared what I’d do if I were the community manager for WHOOP.
This week, I’m trying something different.
No polished advice. Just showing up and sharing what’s happening behind the scenes.
🔍 Behind-the-Scenes
I spent some time journaling and whiteboarding (and deleting and rewriting)…
And here’s what feels clear right now:
Redefine the Game is a platform, a playground, and maybe even a bit of a protest.
It’s for the people building community-first, purpose-led, customer-obsessed brands. A space for brand builders, marketers, and community leaders to explore, test, and grow.
A platform for people who believe meaning is the moat. That trust > tactics. And that community isn't a strategy. It's the soul of it all.
One small thing I’ve noticed:
When I focus too much on trying to “get the message right,” everything starts to feel off. But when I zoom out and come back to why I’m doing this…it all gets lighter.
Anyway. That’s where I’m at this week.
Thinking, sketching, experimenting.
Trying to be useful and real and consistent. Even when the path’s not clear yet.
💡 The Lesson
If your brand feels blurry, don’t polish the message. Revisit the mission.
Ask yourself:
Who are we really here for?
Are we building for them or with them?
What kind of world are we helping shape?
Once that’s clear, everything else gets lighter.
📡 Signal from the noise
“If you’re not building with soul, you’re just marketing with noise.”
I read this line somewhere this week and couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Some brands that get this? Finisterre. O-p-e-n. Patagonia. Cotopaxi.
They’re not selling lifestyle.
They’re inviting people into a way of living.
⏭️ What’s Next
A potential roundtable episode about the future of trail running
A database with Purpose-driven and Community-Driven brands in Sports, Health and Wellness and Outdoors.
And next Builder’s Log?
Might go deeper into the self-doubt of building in public. Because yeah, it’s both freeing and terrifying.
If you’ve been following this project: thank you.
If you’re building your own thing: keep going.
And if something here hits, reply or comment. I’d love to hear what you’re working on too.
— Francisco